Unprecedented palace remodeling job wraps up in Yogyakarta

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

A special team of experts in charge of preparing a detailed engineering design for the reconstruction of earthquake-damaged Trajumas hall at the Yogyakarta Palace has completed its job.

The hall, made mostly of teak, was leveled by the powerful 2006 earthquake

"We are ready to submit our report soon to our funding institution, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), to be forwarded to the Palace," leader of the team Yuwono Sri Suwito told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

The devastating May 27, 2006 quake that damaged parts of the Yogyakarta Palace heritage compound also killed nearly 6,000 people and damaged hundreds of thousands of other buildings in Yogyakarta and parts of Central Java.

Trajumas hall, an open building measuring some 20 by 24 meters near Srimanganti hall, was among the most severely damaged facilities at the palace, with only white ceramic floor tiles and 20 building foundations locally known as umpak remaining.

"The wreckage has been carefully removed and stored for reconstruction," another member of the team, architect and heritage activist Laretna T Adishakti, said.

The Trajumas hall itself used to be the place where courtiers entertained important guests. It was located across from Srimanganti hall where the sultan himself used to receive guests.

The building is believed to be at least as old as the palace, which was built in 1756 by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono I.

Following a damage assessment, UGM formed a team comprising of 15 experts from different fields, including anthropologists, archeologists, architects and civil engineers, for planning and carrying out the reconstruction.

Yuwono, who is also chairman of the Yogyakarta Provincial Cultural Council, said his team needs over a year to complete the design, especially due to the complexity of the building and lack of information about the original.

"We worked very, very carefully as we want it rebuilt exactly as it was," Yuwono explained.

The team also strongly recommends that the reconstruction of the building not be entrusted to builders on a tight schedule.

"What we need are artisans with the relevant expertise and skills whose are willing to schedule around work, not vice versa. They have to work under the close supervision of the Palace," said Yuwono.

"Everything must be done very, very carefully without any hurry. Otherwise, we will never be able to rebuild it exactly the way it was," said Yuwono.

In terms of construction, he said, the re-building task was complicated and unprecedented.

The team, for example, found joining systems between different parts of the building never encountered before.

"We are proposing that there should be a copyright for the specific construction design of this building. I think it is a blessing from the earthquake," he said.